Severe weather to strike more than a dozen US states this week
Damaging thunderstorms, some of which spawned destructive tornadoes and turned deadly, have already torn through parts of the United States from Oklahoma to Ohio this week. AccuWeather forecasters warn that yet another round of severe weather will unfold this week, and it could be just as potent as the earlier round.
The next round of severe weather will threaten once again areas from Texas to Ohio, but residents in locations farther east such as southern Virginia and the Carolinas could also be at risk.
A new storm developing in the central U.S. this week will be the cause of more severe weather. The clash of cold and warm air is likely to produce a blockbuster storm that will trigger both a zone of heavy snow to its north and an area of severe thunderstorms to its south.
"The warm Gulf moisture flowing northward into this storm will help to create the dynamic situation for the southern U.S. for the second half of the week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
The first round of severe weather continued into Wednesday night, as gusty thunderstorms began to erupt in Little Rock, Arkansas. AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach also noted that there were visibility issues in southwestern Arkansas Wednesday evening.
The risk for severe weather is not likely to end Wednesday night in this area.
"The parent storm will be slow to move, allowing for the same area to be threatened by severe thunderstorms two days in a row," Duff explained. As such, cities like Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, could have yet another round of severe weather.
AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the severe thunderstorm outbreak Thursday and Thursday night could be the most widespread of the three-day event.
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Thunderstorms are expected to ignite west of the Interstate 35 corridor before quickly moving east throughout the day and into Thursday night. A widespread risk for destructive winds, hail and tornadoes is expected in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and western parts of Alabama and Tennessee.
The threat of severe thunderstorms will continue Friday as the storm shifts into the Ohio Valley. Areas from Interstate 10 to the Ohio River may experience damaging wind gusts and perhaps a brief tornado.
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Cities and towns from northeastern Texas to the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians could all be at risk for drenching rain and thunderstorms. These soaking storms could produce as much as 1-3 inches of rain with locally higher amounts. Major cities including St. Louis, Nashville and Indianapolis may all be affected by the heavy rain.
Substantial travel delays are likely where rain falls over these areas. Downpours will lead to poor visibility as well as ponding on roadways, both of which can bring slowed travel for motorists into Friday.
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Parts of this area had an exceptionally wet February. Little Rock, for example, received 7.62 inches of rain, almost 200% of the city's historical average for the month. With such a substantial amount of rain in recent weeks, lesser rainfall amounts could more easily lead to flooded roads and toppled trees.
As the transition from winter to spring across the U.S. draws closer, AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters continues to warn of the risk of severe thunderstorms for many of the same locations into May.
Last year, the month of March was the most active in history for tornado activity. An astounding 234 tornadoes were confirmed in the month alone, beating the old March record of 192 from 2017.
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